


Containment Breach

by spinner_atropos



Category: Extreme Ghostbusters (Cartoon), Ghostbusters - All Media Types
Genre: Awkwardness, F/M, First Time, Sexual Inexperience
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-03
Updated: 2018-09-03
Packaged: 2019-07-06 10:25:19
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,841
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15884157
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spinner_atropos/pseuds/spinner_atropos
Summary: Maybe it was aftereffects of the adrenaline rush of avoiding another cataclysm.Maybe it wasn't.





	Containment Breach

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [All Things in Good Time](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/413916) by Arafel. 



> The first core image of this came years ago from "All Things in Good Time," so a tip of the hat to Arafel. It eventually grew on its own from there.
> 
> Set somewhere between "Fallout" and "The Sphinx."

"E'on! E'on! Eoneoneon!"

It was the chill of Slimer's ectoplasmic hands on his face that brought him to sufficient awareness to register the urgency in his tone. He squinted at the clock. "Slimer, it's four--" The blare of the containment alarm stopped him mid-sentence. Slimer gabbled at him again and zipped out through the window glass into the humid dawn.

Egon stumbled out of bed, getting his glasses on and grabbing his clothes from the day before. He got dressed on the way downstairs without breaking his neck and scanned the diagnostic readout on the containment unit. Looked like it was time for that wiring overhaul he'd been putting off.

A few minutes of jury-rigging stabilized the field enough to let him get back up to the main floor and flip through the Rolodex on Janine's desk. Roland was first--he was the only hope Egon had of keeping enough metaphorical balls in the air to remove and replace wiring while keeping the field intact.

The klaxon started to sound again as he dialed Janine's number.

"'lo?"

"Janine?"

"Egon? ...Is that the alarm?" She suddenly sounded very awake.

"Roland's on his way to help me with the wiring. Please call the others and let them know."

"I'm on it." She hung up.

***

Boots sounded on the metal grating of the stairs. "Egon? How are you doing?"

"The field's held so far, but I'm not making any progress by myself."

"What do you need?"

"Reroute power from this board so I can replace the wiring harness."

The basement should have been the coolest part of the building, but the containment unit put out so much heat that working in the space behind it was miserable. Perspiration plastered his hair to the back of his neck and ran down into his eyes. The normal low-frequency throb was wrong, not quite regular, and it was vibrating through his body in an unsettling way.

"I'm here, what do you need?" Janine's voice down the stairs surprised him.

"What are you doing here?"

"Where else should I be?" she snapped back.

He was about to order her out when Roland spoke up. "Gatorade, please. And a radio, if we need something later."

"I'll get it." The door shut.

"She's not leaving no matter what you say, you can fight with her about it later. And we do need the support."

He wanted to argue, but knew he'd get nowhere--and Roland was right. "Fine."

***

Time crawled past as they worked. Egon didn't remember the wiring being so *small*, but the constant burn of sweat in his eyes wasn't helping his vision. "Shunt that a minute while I solder this," Roland said.

There were footsteps overhead, then Ecto's engine rumbled and pulled away.

***

Ecto returned and there was shouting. "He could have been killed!"

"But he wasn't, he's gonna be fine!" The motor of the lift came to life and the voices got clearer. "He won't be out on busts with us for a while, but the worst he's gonna go through is some physical therapy!"

"That's not the point! An inch of difference and it could have been his head! Or his spine!" Kylie stormed off the lift, a ghost trap in her hand.

"And then he'd be a crip like me, right? That's what you're thinking. Just say it, Kylie."

She'd lost momentum, realizing she couldn't put the ghost in the containment unit as normal, but she spun on him. "It's not the same if you're born like that, all right?

"'Like that?' Y'know, it's usually called 'handicapped' or 'paraplegic,' but--"

"KYLIE, put it in the corner, both of you, GET OUT OF THE BUILDING." They both froze--Egon rarely shouted--and Kylie flashed him a look full of hurt before she stomped up the stairs. Garrett just mumbled to himself as he took the lift back up. There was more shouting above, Janine's voice joining in, before quiet settled in.

The klaxon started up again.

***

"Egon, your hands are shaking, let me take over." Roland grabbed the walkie-talkie. "Janine, is there anything to eat up there?"

"Sure, give me just a minute."

"I'm fine." He didn't feel great, but there were bigger issues at hand.

"The grid is stable enough for you to take a couple of minutes to eat. Better to do it now while we have time than pass out when we don't. After you've eaten I'll take a turn. Have some Gatorade while you're at it." Egon glared at him, but Roland didn't flinch. He humored him and took a bottle. Even if it wasn't cold, the liquid did feel good.

Janine came down the stairs with a couple of sandwiches from a nearby deli. "There's more upstairs when you're done." She spared Egon a look before she went back upstairs.

***

Roland made the final connection and stepped back. They waited; no alarm. Power levels read steady.

"I think we did it," Egon said, waiting for the universe to prove him wrong. It didn't. _Kineahora_ , said a voice in the back of his mind. The hum under his feet throbbed at its usual tempo.

"I think you're right," Roland replied.

Egon stood fully straight for the first time in hours, then bent backwards and felt his spine creak. "I think we should give it a little more time before we declare ourselves fully victorious."

"We should also test the backup power. Hate to find out too late if that's not working." He grabbed the radio. "Janine, we're going to shut off the main breaker as a test, are you good?"

"Let me shut down the computer." Silence for a few moments. "Go ahead."

Egon pulled the breaker switch and the basement went dark and silent. A second passed, then the emergency lights switched on and the containment unit started to hum again. He checked his watch, and made himself wait for three minutes. "I think we're good on this as well." He reset the switch.

"I'll hang around, you go take a shower. You look like you need it." Roland grinned at him and followed him upstairs. Janine's head snapped around as the door opened; he nodded at her and she relaxed. Roland stopped to talk to her as Egon continued upstairs to the bathroom, stripping his sweat-soaked clothes off and looking in the mirror. His hair looked like he'd been electrocuted, and there were smears of grease and God knew what else on his face. Despite the sticky weather, he turned the water up to hot to soothe out some of his aches.

He threw on an old T-shirt and a pair of old sweat shorts and felt somewhat more comfortable than before. He found Roland downstairs; Janine was no longer at her desk. "Nothing happened, but I'll stay near the phone just in case," Roland said. "Get some sleep."

It no longer felt worth bristling over being told what to do. "I will." He found the remaining sandwiches in the fridge with a sternly-written note from Janine telling Slimer not to touch them. Did that even work? he wondered as he unwrapped one and ate it quickly--he must still have been hungrier than he realized--then poured a glass of water. The building was wonderfully quiet.

He hit the power switch on the stereo as he entered the rec room, and won the gamble--rather than someone's heavy metal music, he was rewarded with a gentle Chopin piano piece. He sank down onto the sofa and took a long drink of cold water, ridding his mouth of the sticky-sweet aftertaste of Gatorade, then leaned his head back against the top of the couch and stretched his arms out across it to ease out more of the lingering kinks. He shut his eyes and let himself start to drift off as the music washed over him.

He was startled out of a doze by sounds from the stairs, then the kitchen. Janine came around the couch carrying two glasses of wine and a sandwich. "You look like you could use this," she said, offering him a glass. He accepted it and she sat next to him, kicking her shoes off and putting her feet up on the coffee table. She was dressed much the same as he was, in a T-shirt and denim shorts. He hadn't seen her in anything other than work clothes since she'd come back.

"I thought you'd left. Is this still good?" He'd been given the bottle at some faculty event or other, put it in the back of a cabinet, and forgotten about it.

"Smelled okay when I opened it. I went outside to get some fresh air."

"You didn't go home?"

"I'm not fit to deal with traffic yet."

He took a careful sip of the wine, savoring it when turned out to be still potable. "I think you might need this as well." She made a vague sound of acknowledgment. "What happened with Eduardo?"

"He got thrown across the room by an elemental and his shoulder was dislocated. He'll be fine, but Kylie was pretty upset. She had some big blowup with Garrett, then I yelled at them and she left. I think she was crying."

"I saw part of the fight. She was worried about Eduardo."

"Of course she was, but it doesn't excuse her behavior." She sighed. "And my worry doesn't excuse my behavior."

"You didn't have to come in today." He tried to moderate his tone so she wouldn't take it as a reprimand. "Thank you." It felt so inadequate.

"I couldn't _not_ come in any more than I could have turned my back when that mess with Achira started. So I spent the day flinching at every sound, wondering if it was a containment breach blowing the roof off again. If that was the one that was taking us all with it." Her voice cracked, and she took a swig of wine. "I guess it's what I do."

"I'd noticed." He felt inadequate again. "Everyone has the weekend to relax; it'll all be back to normal on Monday. Eduardo's young and strong, if it's just a dislocation he'll be fine. He'll be helping you in the office for a couple of weeks, though."

"Great." She snorted. "Between him and Slimer I'll be ready for Bellevue by the end of the month." She sighed again. Soon her glass started to tilt slowly forward.

"Don't fall asleep, you'll spill all over the couch." He confiscated the glass and set it on the coffee table. He put his arm across her shoulders rather than the back of the couch; she didn't react.

"I never could hold my liquor," she said drowsily

They fell silent again, and he stared at the ceiling for a while as he thought. "Have I gotten old?" he asked, half to himself.

"Well, you're getting older, which is happening to all of us. I think 'old' is a state of mind. Comparing yourself to your students is definitely going to make you feel old."

"I think it's made me _realize_ I'm old. I couldn't have fixed the containment unit without Roland. He could see the circuitry better than I could, and his hands are steadier than mine." He thought about it. "He also handled the situation very well."

"He's a level-headed young man."

"However, I haven't been told so many times what I need since I was a child."

She snorted. "You're not always good at taking care of yourself. You can't work for hours on end without food or sleep anymore."

"I managed just fine by myself for several years," he said acerbically.

"You weren't actively busting at the same time, either. And as we've decided, you *are* getting older. Having people wanting to help you isn't a weakness. We do it because we _love_ you, Egon."

His heart was suddenly pounding the way it had when she'd walked into his classroom. He turned his head toward her; they were close enough that his nose brushed the hair just above her ear. The lingering scent of sweat in her hairline was unexpectedly intimate.

They were completely alone--Slimer hadn't yet returned. 

Maybe it was aftereffects of the adrenaline rush of avoiding another cataclysm.

Maybe it wasn't.

He brushed his lips against her temple; gooseflesh raised on her nape. He pressed his lips to her cheekbone, the touch firmer and more deliberate than the previous one. She drew in a deep breath. "I didn't even shower today."

"You smell better than I did before my shower."

"That's not setting the bar very high."

Janine turned her head and looked up at him. This close up he could see the depth of the green of her eyes and the slight copper hue of her lashes. She was looking at him in a way she hadn't since she'd come back. She normally had a mask in place, but at this moment her expression was soft and made his heart ache unexpectedly.

He unfastened her barrette, letting her hair swing forward to brush against her cheeks. Before he could drive himself crazy with analysis and second-guessing he kissed her. Her lips were soft and warm, and tasted faintly of wine. After a moment they parted slightly; he took the hint and dipped his tongue into her mouth, feeling slightly foolish. The sound she made in her throat vibrated through him. Several seconds later she drew back, taking his wine and setting it next to hers. She slid a leg over to straddle him, his body's reaction to her weight in his lap immediate and intense. She removed both their glasses and set them aside as well before putting her arms around his neck and kissing him again.

He rested his hands on her waist under her shirt. She broke the kiss and ran her tongue up the length of his neck, then tugged on his earlobe with his teeth. She purred in response to the undignified noise he made. He moved his hands higher, finding nothing but bare skin up to her shoulderblades. He paused and drew back for a better look. "I got dressed in a hurry," she said, her expression ingenuous.

"How much of a hurry?" He moved his hands down, fingertips slipping under the waistband of her shorts--purely in the spirit of scientific inquiry, of course.

"Find out for yourself," she murmured in his ear.

"Not yet," he replied, bringing his hands back up and around, but she rocked gently on his lap and his purpose was forgotten for a moment. "I can't think when you do that," he protested.

"Good," she said, and did it again. He reconsidered giving in now, but had hoped the encounter would last a little longer than this.

"Not yet," he repeated.

She drew breath as if to argue, but moaned softly instead as his hands reached her breasts. He cupped them, feeling her nipples press against his palms, then ran his fingertips down them and pinched very gently. "If you put it that way," she managed. She pulled her shirt off, rising up on her knees. Her breasts were beautiful--maybe even perfect. He took one nipple his mouth. "Oh god," Janine said, curling her fingers on his shoulders. He plucked at the other with his fingers and she moaned again.

His other hand moved back to her waist, stroking gently, then traced the waistband of her shorts from the small of her back to her navel. He was able to get the button undone, but her position made getting the zipper down impossible. She realized his difficulty and stood up, leaning over as she slid the shorts down her legs. He was fascinated by the movement of bare skin.

She straightened up, kicking the shorts away. She returned to his lap but paused to pull *his* shirt off. She ran her hands over his shoulders and chest, exploring. His self-consciousness over the softness of his middle was forgotten when her hands reached his groin. He jumped as she traced the length of his penis through the fabric and then squeezed it. "Wait, please--Janine, wait."

She smiled wickedly at him. "Are you sure?"

"For the moment." He tightened his arms around her and lifted her, laying her head on the arm of the couch and lying half over her. He kissed her forehead, then bit her earlobe as she had his--she shivered and laughed breathlessly.

He traced the contours of her body with one hand, stroking down over her breast, her waist, resting briefly on her hip, then brushing gently at her pubic mound. She hummed with interest and parted her legs. "You're feeling bold, Dr. Spengler."

"I'm not," he admitted. "This is outside my experience." Previous--experiments--had been much more functional and involved less exploration.

She took his hand in hers. "I'll show you."

***

Janine's last breathless instructions had been "And if you find something that works, for God's sake *keep doing it.*" He had apparently been doing something right--her muscles had tightened on his fingers as her back arched. He suspected this new power might prove to be addictive.

A bead of sweat slid down his forehead and fell on her; she opened her eyes. "Perhaps we could pursue this further in the bunkroom--there's air conditioning there." He'd finally caved and gotten a window unit last year; either the summers were getting hotter or he really was beginning to feel his age.

She laughed; he realized how little she laughed anymore, and how much he'd missed it. "You're such a smooth operator.." She ran her fingers down his side to his shorts. "Please tell me you have condoms." His expression must have given him away. "The way my life's been going, that's not a gamble I'm willing to take."

"Perhaps there's some of Peter's stash--"

"You know they expire, right?"

"Do you think one of the kids would have some?"

Her eyebrows rose. "Assuming they did, are you suggesting we raid their lockers?"

"Not… really." He sat up and located his shirt.

Janine sat up as well and watched him set himself to rights. "Do you want me to go?" She was smiling a little, and he looked down; his erection had not yet fully subsided.

"By the time I get there-- Besides, the fact that I'm buying them..."

"You have a point."

"I'll just be a few minutes."

***

He briefly weighed the merits of buying such a personal item from someone who didn't know him compared to someone who did, but time seemed to be of the essence, so he went to his usual shop two blocks down. He grabbed a couple of his preferred candy bars in an attempt to divert attention from the box of condoms, but thought he detected a slight raised eyebrow from Mr. Li. Well, better him than his son, he didn't think he'd be able to get through the transaction with the added weight of adolescent judgment heaped upon him. He murmured his thanks and made it back to the firehouse in record time.

***

He found Janine in the bunkroom still nude, her hair damp--she must have showered?--but sound asleep. The air conditioner was on and the room was beginning to cool. He wavered on the threshold. After waking her up so early in the morning, maybe the gentlemanly thing to do would be to let her sleep. Surely they could try again tomorrow?

As he debated whether he should sleep in the same bed with her or a different one the paper bag rustled and Janine blinked, focusing on him and sitting up. She looked abashed. "I guess I nodded off."

"Perhaps we should just sleep." Suddenly her mask was back in place. He wished he could take back his suggestion. "Or perhaps we can sleep afterward."

She studied him solemnly. He wondered what his expression revealed. "I smell better now than I did before."

"I liked the way you smelled before."

"Make me sweat a little and I'll smell that way again." She reached out and seized the waistband of his shorts, pulling him down with her to the bed.

***

They were both sweating despite the air conditioning when Janine pulled away. "Hold that thought." She stretched for the nightstand and grabbed the paper bag. She opened it and suddenly stopped, looking into it with an expression of surprise. Had he gotten the wrong kind? Were there differences he didn't know about? He'd avoided the outré colors and apparent specialty items and just gotten what looked like a "base model."

She held the candy bars up and raised one eyebrow. "I know you like sweets, but is there something I should know?"

He felt himself blush. "I thought perhaps if I bought something normal as well--"

She was grinning now. "Better candy bars than bananas, I guess." She set the candy aside and had made short work of the box and packet.

"I think I'd better," he said quickly, afraid that he wouldn't make it through. She handed it over, watching with great interest as he put it on. He was pretty sure it was right side out, and she didn't say otherwise.

She sat on his lap as she had downstairs and leaned down to kiss him again. He cupped her breasts, stroking her nipples, and she wriggled slightly on him; he could feel her wetness on his skin. His penis twitched, pressing up between her legs, and she slid against it as she rose up on her knees. She took it in one hand and met his eyes. "Ready?" He could only nod mutely.

She slid down slowly, so slowly, the sensation of heat and pressure and friction suddenly his entire world, and he heard himself moan out loud. She moved gently at first, experimentally, and then started to rock against him in rhythm. He gripped her hips and started to thrust up against her reflexively. She made a sound that was almost a growl and sat up straighter, her movement quickening, more forceful. He forced his eyes open--her head was tipped back, her breasts bouncing, a flush spreading across her collarbones. She had a hand between her legs and she suddenly gasped, her body squeezing him in an irresistible grip. He thrust up hard and the sun went nova.

***

Egon was awakened by the sudden absence of sound as the air conditioner stopped. Distant thunder rumbled. He held his breath and started counting to himself; the alarms didn't sound. When he breathed again he smelled rain on the cooling breeze.

"Everything good?" Janine asked sleepily from beside him, shoulder-to-shoulder on the narrow bunk.

"No alarms."

"Excellent." She turned onto her side, moving back against him.

He put an arm over her waist and she shuffled until the position satisfied her. Despite the difference in their heights they fit together well. "Maybe everything really *will* be back to normal on Monday," he said half to himself.

"Not *everything* that happened today was bad," she said sleepily.

"Not everything."


End file.
